Military operations are currently underway in Kukawa, Borno State, to track fleeing insurgents and prevent them from regrouping after troops of Operation Hadin Kai successfully thwarted a coordinated assault by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters.
The engagement began when insurgents attacked personnel attached to the 101 Special Forces Battalion from four directions. Backed by air support, the ground forces deployed tactical manoeuvres and effective battlefield coordination to overwhelm the assailants, forcing the survivors to retreat.
Confirming the operation in an official communication posted on the Nigerian Army’s X handle on Wednesday, Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer for the Joint Task Force (North East) Headquarters, detailed the casualty figures. “Preliminary assessment indicates that over 25 terrorists were neutralised, with 14 bodies recovered so far,” Goni stated.
Subsequent exploitation of the battlefield yielded a cache of arms and ammunition, including six AK-47 rifles, with soldiers continuing search efforts to locate additional discarded weaponry. However, the confrontation also resulted in casualties among military personnel, prompting the Nigerian Army to extend its condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers while commending their bravery and dedication to duty.
According to the military hierarchy, the successful defence shows the high level of combat readiness and resilience exhibited by troops in the North-East theatre, while demonstrating the critical role of seamless air-ground joint operations in curtailing terrorist movements.